AnfangvsAnflugWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Anfang” and “Anflug” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#456
“Anfang” frequency rank
#19,811
“Anflug” frequency rank
20267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Anfang Anflug
Definition zeitlicher oder räumlicher Beginn oder Ausgangspunkt eines Vorgangs oder einer Sache Landen eines Flugzeugs (oder Flugtieres)

Where the eye mixes Anfang and Anflug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Anfang (VCCVCC) and Anflug (VCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
Anfang
6 ch
Anflug

Why the eye confuses Anfang with Anflug

A purely visual mix-up. Anfang ([ˈanˌfaŋ]) and Anflug ([ˈanˌfluːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anfang is recorded at frequency rank #456, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌfaŋ]. Anflug is at rank #19,811, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌfluːk].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 20267, this pair ranks #1,899,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anfang vs Anflug

Shared letters: afgn. Private to "Anfang": -. Private to "Anflug": lu.

"Anfang" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Anflug" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anfang ← afnang · anafng · anfagn · anfangg · anfanng · anffang · anfnag · annfang
  • Anflug ← afnlug · anfflug · anflgu · anfllug · anflugg · anfulg · anlfug · annflug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Anfang" for "Anflug" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌfaŋ] versus [ˈanˌfluːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Anfang" vs "Anflug" - which ranks higher?
"Anfang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #456 in our German list, against #19,811 for "Anflug". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Anfang" and "Anflug" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Anfang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Anflug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,899,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Anfang" and "Anflug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Anfang vs Anhänge". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,899,534 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list